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BACKFILL DRAINAGE OF RETAINING WALLS

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Concrete Retaining Walls
Overview
Retaining wall home
Four common types of concrete
retaining walls
How to Design Concrete Retaining
Walls
General retaining wall design
One area that can be commonly overlooked, or at least underestimated, is the necessity to drain the backfill of rainwater
and/or groundwater. Hydrostatic pressure can cause or induce retaining wall failure, or at least damage.
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Drainage of water as a result of rainfall or other wet conditions is very important to the stability of a retaining wall. Without
proper drainage, the backfill can become saturated, which has the dual impact of increasing the pressure on the wall and
lessening the resistance of the backfill material to sliding. Granular backfill material offers the benefits of good drainage,
easy compaction, and increased sliding resistance.
Drainage systems usually utilize weepholes and drainage lines.
Weepholes actually penetrate the retaining wall and drain the area immediately behind the wall. Weepholes should have
a minimum diameter so as to permit free drainage. For large walls, 4 inch weepholes are common. Adequate spacing
between weepholes allows uniform drainage from behind the wall. Weepholes should always have some kind of filter
material between the wall and the backfill to prevent fines migration, weephole clogging, and loss of backfill and caving.
Drainage lines are often perforated and wrapped in geotextile or buried in a granular filter bed, and serve to carry water to
the weepholes from areas deeper within the backfill.

Building codes for retaining

walls

How to determine lateral earth

pressure

Determining concrete retaining

wall proportions

Provisions for joints in concrete

walls

Backfill drainage of retaining

walls

The importance of groundwork

and compaction

How to Install Concrete

Retaining Walls

Retaining Wall Cost

Decorative Face Options for

Retaining Walls

Decorative poured walls:

Reproduce the look of stone or
masonry

Vertical concrete overlays

Form liners for cast-in-place

vertical concrete

iCON Wall Panels

Related Inform ation:

Landscape Retaining Walls:

Information and design ideas for
residential retaining walls from
LandscapingNetwork.com

Board Formed Concrete